The first person in Taiwan diagnosed with the 2019 novel coronavirus has been released from the hospital where she was being treated and has written a letter thanking medical personnel, the Central Epidemic Command Center said yesterday.
The woman twice tested negative for the disease and was escorted home, where she is to self-manage her health, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, told a news conference in Taipei.
Although the woman wished to remain anonymous, she also wanted to address the public, Chen said, adding that she wrote a letter and recorded two audio messages to be shared.
Photo: Chien Hui-ju, Taipei Times
“No one wants to get sick,” the patient said in a recording played at the news conference. “But when I am sick and my illness might endanger the lives of others, would that person really be willing to save me?”
In the recording, which runs about seven minutes, the woman thanked her medical team and the workers on the front line of the outbreak.
“I was the first case, so I ‘broke the zero’ in Taiwan. I want to say that I am very sorry, but I think no one wants to get sick,” she said.
The healthcare system in China is “very inconvenient” for holders of a Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents, she said, adding that she had planned on seeing a doctor upon returning to Taiwan.
She initially thought she only had a cold, with symptoms including coughing and a sore throat, but no fever, she said.
Due to an announcement on her flight back to Taiwan asking passengers to report “physical discomfort,” she said that she decided to report her symptoms anyway.
Her temperature was taken and she was told she had a fever, she said.
She had returned to Taiwan to celebrate the Lunar New Year and did not imagine that she would be spending the holiday in a hospital, she added.
The word “safety” holds special significance for her now, she said.
In the other recording, which runs about 1 minute, the woman urged people to “listen and follow” the Centers for Disease Control’s recommendations.
“If you are sick or [feeling] uncomfortable, say so honestly,” she said. “This way, you can save yourself, save your family and save the people around you.”
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